falloutfanonfandomcom-20200222-history
Nez Perce
Nez Perce (once known as Lewiston) is a large agricultural settlement in northern Idaho located at the confluence of the Snake River and the Clearwater River which is currently under the thumb of the Kingdom of God. Voluntarily submitting to the Kingdom's authority, Nez Perce has remained a dutiful vassal to the Judge in New Jerusalem for the last several years. History Before the War As the name might imply, the area was inhabited by the Native American tribe named Nez Perce before the the arrival of the White Man. They were first encountered by Europeans in 1802 and by the Lewis & Clark Expedition in 1803. The town was named after the explorer Meriwether Lewis, and it was settled in 1861 in the wake of a gold rush which began the previous year near Pierce, northeast of Lewiston. This caused the Nez Perce War that displaced the native Nez Perce and the establishment of Lewiston. The little city soon became the capital of the fledgling Idaho Territory. The capital was later moved to Boise with Lewiston becoming more unimportant as time went on. Lewiston mostly relied on manufacturing and agriculture for its jobs, and that pattern went from the early twentieth century to the Great War. The metropolitan hub of the Lewis-Clark Valley, Lewiston served as a primary center of transportation and various services. Because of this, Lewiston was afforded a single bomb during the Great War that targeted the town. Luckily, the bomb was relatively low-yield and did not physically completely devastate the town. Rebuilding and Interregnum Although the damage from the single bomb was not that much, those who did not take shelter were still killed or ghoulified by residual radiation. So, the people of Lewiston stayed in their refuges underground while the world above burned. While most of the surviving population was hiding however, the city above was not silent. Nez Perce Reservation east of Lewiston had also been devastated by the Great War, adding on to the numerous problems that the community had already had before the war. The Native Americans in Nez Perce Reservation who had survived initial bombings on had started to starve, and the tribe's leaders began to talk about moving on to better lands. Many on the reservation were reluctant to leave the land that had been given to them in perpetuity by the United States government. However, it seemed clear that the government was not operating in the same capacity that it once was. The Indian peoples would not be protected like they once were. Many on the reservation saw this apocalypse instead as a sort of opportunity, an opportunity to reclaim what was once the rightful property of Nez Perce. Some even yearned to return to a nomadic lifestyle free of settlements. However, cooler heads prevailed, and the leaders of the reservation decided a wiser course of action was to simply migrate somewhere else to live. So in the fetid summer of 2080, about a hundred Native Americans forged west towards a better future. In the town of Lewiston, they seemingly found that future. The town was not that badly damaged, and it was still full of supplies that could be scavenged. The remaining members of the Nerz Perce tribe settled down in the ruins of Lewiston and renamed it Nez Perce in honor of their tribe. Soon enough, those who had survived below Lewiston would take notice of these new inhabitants and emerged to secure their property. There was some brief tension between the two groups, but they eventually got over their dislike, and the name Nez Perce stuck. The two groups intermarried over time and eventually became on. In the decades after the Great War, Nez Perce suffered numerous raider attacks from nomads and scavengers. In particular, one scavver clan took up residence in Clearwater Paper Mill and would reside there for many years afterwards. Luckily for Nez Perce, the raider attacks would lessen as time went on, and fires started by the bombs settled down so to speak. Settling Down For much of the twenty second century, Nez Perce was a peaceful place. The people there were farmers who traded with whoever came through and made an honest living. Things would not stay so simple however. In the mid 2100’s, influence in town became concentrated increasingly into the hands of a few powerful families who owned most of the land. These families include the Coles, the Keynes, and the Waltons, all still quite influential even today. Because of their prestige, these families eventually built Snake River Estates to live in apart from the poor in The Orchards. Another problem emerged when aggressive groups began to notice Nez Perce’s vulnerability. The first people to take advantage of this vulnerability were the Paperboys, a raider gang who seized Clearwater Paper Mill from the scavengers who once called it home. The Paperboys would go on to harass Nez Perce for thirty years afterwards until a wandering traveler assisted the residents in wiping out the raiders. After the Paperboys were eliminated, things seemed to calm down a great deal. For nearly fifteen years, Nez Perce had no trouble. However, the settlement was briefly and bloodily taken over by an invading raider gang called the Crazies in 2244. After a brief occupation, the Crazies were forced out by the combined force of bounty hunters and residents. After the encounter with the Crazies, things settled down again. However, this time a militia was formed after the raiders defeat to prevent such an event from getting so dire again. And so, Nez Perce remained relatively secure for many more years. At the same time though, internal cracks began to show as the lowly farmers began to resent the more elitist families. This, combined with the slow creep of the sinister and cultish Kingdom of God, led to an atmosphere of unease in Nez Perce over many years. In 2271, the Degenerates arrived on the outskirts of Nez Perce. Thinking that the Badlanders were just another tribe of raiders, the militia of Nez Perce quickly mobilized to meet this new threat. However, they were surprisingly met with hospitality, as the Badlanders were not looking for a fight. The Badlander pack told the militia that they simply wanted to settle down near a population center for a little big, and they did not want to attack Nez Perce. The militia remained suspicious of the Degenerates, but they allowed the Badlanders to remain because they did not want a bloody drawn-out fight. For the next year, the Degenerates hung around Nez Perce, and the situation slowly simmered to a boil. Individual Degenerates got into fights with some residents of Nez Perce, and incidents of theft and rape become increasingly common as time went on. Even though many of these crimes came from unknown sources, the Degenerates were blamed regardless. At the same time, scouts from the Kingdom began ranging nearer to Nez Perce, and the militia became overworked as they remained on watch for longer hours. It was around the end of 2271 that the Degenerates began suggesting that they could take over protection duties for Nez Perce instead of the militia. The very suggestion alarmed many in Nez Perce, though a few argued in favor of the Degenerates at least assisting the militia in a possible defense against the Kingdom of God. However, most in Nez Perce hated the Degenerates, and this eventually culminated in 2271 with a riot against the Badlanders provoked by a rape that led to the cannibalistic tribals fleeing west. With the Degenerates taken care of, the militia of Nez Perce was still greatly weakened with the Kingdom of God and nomadic raiders knocking at the door. In the next two years, more nomadic raiders and returning Degenerates began to increasingly harass Nez Perce. The Kingdom of God also inched closer and closer to Nez Perce, with Kingdom scouts showing up in the settlement more frequently after the riot against the Degenerates. Eventually, the ruling elders and families of Nez Perce decided that it was only a matter of time until the Kingdom conquered them, and the town would benefit from protection. So after a raid from nomads in 2273, the settlement’s leader finally decided to submit to the Kingdom and benefit from some degree of security. That would be the herald of a great change for Nez Perce. The Rule of the Kingdom After submitting to the Kingdom, a detachment of the Army of God from New Jerusalem arrived to enforce the rule of the Judge and his Kingdom. The New Disciples arrived with them and set up a new church for the settlement. The Kingdom accepted Nez Perce under its usual conditions that the town adhered to its laws and beliefs. That began with mandatory church attendance and the exile/execution of those who would never fit in within the Kingdom such as homosexuals, prostitutes, chem dealers, etc. These outcasts mostly fled west towards safer lands while others took refuge in Hells Canyon, an appropriate fate according to many in town. A year later, the Kingdom forces in Nez Perce announced new rules and regulations that would revoke any remaining rights for women in the settlement. This was met with indignation by many but no armed resistance. Women were disarmed and removed from positions of authority rather easily without a fight. Many single women were married off unceremoniously, and old women and widows were sent to live with their closest relatives. This actively destabilized the power structures within Nez Perce as it shifted power from the last widowed Keyne to her Cole son in-law. From then on, the Waltons and Coles have mostly solidified behind the new status quo, and they actively support the Kingdom. The farmers and business people had a harder time adjusting to this new norm, but they eventually did with a little assistance from the Hands of David. Apostle Titus has been quite hands-on in the transition to theocracy, and he has become the face of the Kingdom in Nez Perce. The settlement is currently doing quite well under Kingdom control, though of course there was a price to that. Meanwhile beyond the influence of the Kingdom in Hells Canyon, the various castaways from Nez Perce are beginning to fall under the influence of rebel groups who oppose the Kingdom. Currently, S.C.U.M. and the Popular Guard are the dominant rebel groups represented in Hells Canyon, mostly in the form of small camps. There is periodic skirmishing between the rebels and the Army of God, and the Apostle Azariah has tried to clear out the rebels multiple times without success. People only hope that things do not escalate further. Government Once run by a council of elders, Nez Perce is now run by the Apostles sent there by the Judge in New Jerusalem. The two Apostles in Nez Perce, the Apostle Azariah and the Apostle Titus, share responsibilities in running the day to day administration. The Apostle Titus focuses more on civilian matters while the Apostle Azariah is more centered about military matters. For example, the Apostle Titus is in charge of the Nez Perce's Hands of David while the Apostle Azariah is in charge of the settlement's Army of God detachment. The Apostle Titus is much more hands-on in regards to his duties where he collects tribute and enforces the law. Economy Nez Perce has an economy mostly centered upon agriculture. After being vassalized by the Kingdom, Nez Perce’s agricultural output has been heightened to levels unseen since the Great War. The settlement churns out vast amounts of crops and meat that are either traded or sent to New Jerusalem as tribute. Nez Perce is fairly prosperous at the moment, but that does not always translate into happiness. Culture The culture of Nez Perce is currently strongly influenced by its current occupiers from the Kingdom of God. Formerly, the community of Nez Perce was more influenced by mostly by frontier pre-War American culture but also Native American culture as indicated by the settlement's name. This was all influenced by Nez Perce's immediate history after the Great War when the native population of Lapwai resettled in Lewiston and integrated into the local population. After the Kingdom's annexation of Nez Perce, the moralist and fundamentalist nature of the Kingdom of God became part of the settlement. The Apostles who run the town keep a tight ship, and the Hands of David enforce God's law in righteous manner similar to in New Jerusalem. Alongside them, the New Disciples set a sort of moral authority for the settlement with their pastor and missionaries. Nevertheless, there is a large aberrant population that either fled Nez Perce before or after the Kingdom took power. These "aberrants", marginalized from the Kingdom because of their faith, ideology, or sexuality, live outside of Nez Perce in the wilderness and most commonly the three-dam complex in Hells Canyon. These outcasts have flocked to various rebel groups as a result of the Kingdom's oppression, with the dominant two being S.C.U.M. and the Popular Guard. S.C.U.M. is an anarcha-feminist guerrilla outfit that focuses mostly on recovering or helping "lost women" and dismantling the state of the Kingdom while the Popular Guard is a more democratic liberal group that seeks unite the rebel groups into one united front against the Kingdom of God. Points of Interest Clearwater Paper Mill Owned by Clearwater Paper for nearly seventy years, the Clearwater Paper Mill stood as one of Lewiston’s largest job providers until the Great War. The massive paper mill was abandoned after the bombs, but it was reoccupied by scavengers in the early twenty second century. That scavver tribe was later than exterminated around 2200 by a raider gang called the Paperboys. The Paperboys would occupy the paper mill for nearly thirty years until they were cleared out by an impromptu militia from Nez Perce. Since then, the paper mill has stood empty with its vast premises playing host to various drifters and scavvers over the years. The area is generally viewed as lawless and disreputable even today, as the Hands of David pay it little heed. So, quite a few rather illegal transactions and operations have taken place in the paper mill in recent years, continuing into the current day. Hells Canyon Carved by the waters of the Snake River, Hells Canyon is North America's deepest river gorge and is normally inaccessible by pre-War roads. Hells Canyon is located near Nez Perce, and it is home to numerous runaways from the Kingdom who have taken refuge there. A three-dam complex in the canyon was built in the 1950's, and it exists into the current day, serving as a home for many runaways. The canyon is full of wildlife and the river is full of fish, so it is relatively easy to survive in Hells Canyon. However, Hells Canyon has grabbed the attention of Hands of David and the Army of God recently, with several raids being performed on the dam complex in last few years. The Apostle Titus fears the rising rebel movement that is sweeping the Kingdom taking hold among the runaways in Hells Canyon, and indeed, there are some rebels who have taken asylum in the canyon though their numbers are negligible for the moment. Lewiston Hill The incline known as Lewiston Hill is more known for the road that runs down it than infamy it has gained on its own. The old 10-mile US highway 95 fell into disuse even before the Great War, but it renowned in its own time. Called the "Old Spiral Highway", the very twisty road opened in 1917 and remained largely in use for nearly a century. The 1950s rock-and-roll hit "Hot Rod Lincoln" tells of an actual race on Lewiston Hill. Now, very few people brave Lewiston Hill besides the occasional traveler and curious adventurer. The road still provides a breathtaking view of the area. Lower Granite Dam Almost forty miles from Nez Perce, the Lower Granite Dam was part of the pre-War Columbia River Basin system of dams, and the dam provides power to the larger area through hydroponic power. Sitting abandoned for many years, the dam was rediscovered by the Kingdom of God's scouts after Nez Perce was vassalized by the Kingdom. The Lower Granite Dam was then taken over by the Kingdom, and it has been held by them ever since. A small detachment of the Army of God is posted at the dam at all times to prevent raiders or rebels from cutting off Nez Perce's power. Nez Perce Garrison The Nez Perce Garrison is the center of the Army of God's military presence in Nez Perce. Established after the settlement asked to join the Kingdom, the Nez Perce Garrison is a large concrete building and one of the few buildings in town built after the war. The Apostle Azariah is firmly based in the Nez Perce Garrison, and he protects the town of Nez Perce from there. The Orchards In Lewiston, the Orchards are the most populated portion of town where most of the commerce takes place. The general store, the post office, and most of the shops are located here. The Orchards have many pre-War houses in shabby conditions that people continue to live in, since they have few other options. The area is not seen as too bad, but it is definitely not as good as Snake River Estates. Port of Nez Perce The Port of Lewiston is the most inland seaport on the West Coast, located four hundred sixty five river miles from the ocean. The port is not all that active, but it does get some traffic from rafts floating down the Snake River who make it past the various dams. The merchants who wash up there are a furtive sort who know how to behave around representatives of the Kingdom. The port is constantly under the protection of a couple of Army of God soldiers. Snake River Estates Snake River Estates is the more upscale residences in Nez Perce. Built in the mid 2100's by residents, Snake River Estates is the residence of Nez Perce's upper crust and the owners of the towns various farms. There is a small number of prominent families in Snake River Estates who have lived there for nearly a century, most prominently the Waltons and the Coles. The picturesque estates may look nice, but in reality, it is a pit of intrigue and petty disputes. This has particularly intensified with the arrival of settlers from the Kingdom including the Apostle Titus who lives in the estates along with the rest of his extended family. Notable Individuals The Apostle Azariah The Apostle Azariah is the Apostle in charge of the Army of God detachment that is tasked with protecting Nez Perce. One of Judge David's original followers, the Apostle Azariah was put in charge of the soldiers in Nez Perce, which was a significant upgrade from his previous position. The Apostle Azariah is a veteran of many of the Kingdom's wars, and he is highly respected by his fellow comrades. These experiences have had a harrowing effect on Apostle Azariah's psyche however, and he has a myriad of daily issues to deal with besides actually managing the army detachment. Born in Spokane in the 2230s to a family of raiders, Nightowl was a rambunctious little boy. His parents were followers of the warlord David, and Nightowl grew up in the shadow of David's rise in power. Around the time Nightowl came of age, Spokane descended into chaos, and the young man was thrust into the conflict fighting alongside David. Both his parents died in the fighting, so Nightowl gravitated towards David for a sort of fatherhood. Soon enough, David and Maria decided to take their followers out of Spokane where they were not welcome and made their way into the wasteland. They eventually found their way to the Tri-Cities and settled there. Nightowl was given the name Azariah while fighting with the scavvers and raiders in the Tri-Cities. In 2252, the Tri-Cities were subdued, and as one of the Apostles, Azariah joined the Army of God to go on further conquests. At that time, Azariah was something of an enthusiastic blowhard who was eager for more battle in the great Pacific Northwest. The next decade or so were spent for Azariah in the Army of God, fighting raiders, apostates, and degenerates throughout the wasteland. He became an experiences soldier who over that time killed all manner of man, beast, and mutant. Notable actions at Walla Walla, Desert Aire, and Little Goose Airport gained Azariah much prestige among his fellow Apostles and the Judge himself. Azariah became especially well-known when he was the lone survivor of his squad, at Walla Walla against Oregon tribals and at Lyons Ferry against mirelurks. These engagements greatly bolstered the Apostle Azariah's reputation, but it came with its own cost. These repeated bloody battle had a serious mental toll of Azariah, and by 2266, the Apostle Azariah had several serious problems. He could hardly sleep at night, and he had developed an aversion to being touched. The Apostle Azariah had also developed crippling social anxiety that made it hard to connect with other humans upon his return to New Jerusalem in 2266. He had great difficulty connecting with anyone outside of the Army of God. For the next couple years, Azariah served in the Temple Garrison as one of the Kingdom's elites serving beside Judge David and his wife. The Apostle Azariah rarely went outside the garrison and mostly just hung around the garrison with his army friends. However, it was a great surprise to Azariah when he was selected along with the Apostle Titus to secure Nez Perce for the Kingdom. It was no doubt for his experience in battle and not his leadership skills. Ever since his arrival in Nez Perce, the Apostle Azariah still rarely leaves the Nez Perce Garrison and lets Titus attend to most of the actual governance of the settlement. Azariah's main jobs have been to protect Nez Perce from outsiders and to root out rebels from the surrounding region. He retains some degree of his former bombast, but his shattered psyche is still quite evident. The Apostle Azariah's mental state does not make him particularly violent, but it does make him rather erratic. He sometimes goes prone or has a mental breakdown when confronted with some overwhelming event, which is becoming more common as he grows older. Azariah has considered chems to mediate these problems, but he knows those are criminal and should be avoided, at least for now. Drusilla Cole Drusilla Cole is an influential matron and the wife of a prominent farmer in Nez Perce who has taken to the recent changes surprisingly well. Married to the wealthy farmer Alphonse Cole, Drusilla acts as her husband's strong right hand even while toeing the line that the Kingdom sets for women. Drusilla is an expert at social networking, and she holds a great deal of influence over the upper crust families of Nez Perce. She can be surprisingly cold-blooded when she has to, and her relationship with the Kingdom occupiers is a complicated one. Born Drusilla Keyne to members of Nez Perce's elite in 2251, the little girl was her family's only child after a long series of disasters that befell the Keyne family. The little girl was spoiled rotten by her parents, and she had an easy time passing through every level of Nez Perce society. Educated by a tutor hired by her parents, Drusilla became an intelligent and crafty young woman who quickly became the most desirable single girl in Nez Perce. She was sought after by many men in the settlement both young and old, and that gave Drusilla something of a power trip. Drusilla enjoyed having power over these men, and she exploited that to the fullest ability. She hoped that would make her happy, that little power she had. That greatly annoyed Drusilla's father and aunt, who quickly rebuked her for her behavior. Drusilla's father in particular told her that she should make her decision on who she wanted to marry instead of entertaining all these "suitors". Drusilla was upset at this, but she heeded her father's words. She eventually married the heir of the Cole family, Alphonse Cole, in 2269, and Drusilla was happy with him. This was not a marriage of convenience or bold ambition but more of mutual respect built up between Drusilla and Alphonse. It finally seemed like Drusilla was happy with herself. That same year, Drusilla's father was killed in a freak accident with the Cole family assets passing to her now widowed and childless aunt instead of her mother (who later passed in a deep depression). Although she had no proof, Drusilla always blamed her aunt for her father's (and later her mother's) death and refused to ever talk to her. This tension went on for about four years, with Drusilla having two children in that time. In that time, Drusilla assisted her husband in managing his farm and networked with other families in Nez Perce. In 2273, the Kingdom of God arrived in Nez Perce, and their rule began. A year later, the system under the Kingdom was fully implemented and all property still owned by women was confiscated. That included Drusilla's aunt's property, which was given to her husband. This made Drusilla fairly happy in a roundabout way, even though her own autonomy was limited. Ever since then, Drusilla has worked hard to further cement the position of herself and her husband within the paradigm the Kingdom has set. This is done through befriending the wife of the Apostle Titus and gathering a lot of relevant information on the prominent families of Nez Perce, which she holds in case she needs it. Drusilla loves her family, her children, and herself, with little else concerning her. The Apostle Titus The Apostle Titus is the leader of the Hands of David in Nez Perce and acts as a moral authority to the people of the town. A member of Judge David's old guard, the Apostle Titus is the more active and hands-on leader of Nez Perce compared to the other Apostle. However, this interaction has earned him little love over the years. Born Scooter to a family of raiders in Spokane during the 2240s, the child who became the Apostle Titus was surprisingly solemn for a future raider. He rarely cried and even more rarely talked. However, the fact that Scooter rarely talked did not mean he did not learn things. Scooter was a bright young child and made sure to think before he acted. As he grew up in the shadow of David, Scooter learned a great deal from the man, both positive and negative. He learned about the raw power of belief and observed the relationship between David and Maria. As he and his parents moved to the Tri-Cities with David, Scooter continued to quietly observe, not saying much and helping out where he could. Scooter was given the new name Titus by his parents, and soon after, he was zeroed in on by a very desperate woman. Peninnah had once been a raider who sided with David, but in the Tri-Cities, she saw that the raider lifestyle was something she would not be able to live anymore. Her female friends pressured her to get married, and she surprised them when she went for the young Titus. Titus was surprised and intrigued by Peninnah’s advances and they later married to his mother’s disapproval. As a young Apostle, Titus left the Tri-Cities around 2253 to join the Army of God in the Judge’s conquests. He remained in the field for years afterwards and would only really settle down when the Judge sent him to Nez Perce. Since then, the Apostle Titus has served as the leader of the local Hands of David and oversees much of the daily administration in Nez Perce with the help of his wife Peninnah. The two have a combative relationship currently as Peninnah never took well to her role. Nonetheless, Titus remains a dutiful husband and fair administrator for the Kingdom in Nez Perce. Zadok Zadok is a humble farmer in Nez Perce who keeps his head down and just tries to get by for the sake of his family. Little has really changed for Zadok since the occupation began, and he just keeps on trucking. Most people are not concerned with the goings on of the wasteland and just prefer to simply live quietly with their families. Overall, Zadok has not had a very interesting life. Not part of one of the important families, Zadok grew up within a large farmer family who all worked on the farm, and he watched placidly as the Kingdom overtook Nez Perce. It did not personally affect him, so why care so much about it. He did not even have to change his name because it was already Biblical. Instead of concerning himself with the Kingdom's takeover, Zadok just kept his head down and lived his life. Zadok married in 2280 and started his own family. Ever since then, Zadok has been taking care of his own family while keeping in line with the new status quo. His life has been rather calm for the time being, and he enjoys the protection given by the Kingdom of God. He does not believe in everything associated with the Kingdom of God's religion, but Zadok does go through the motions of a standard resident of Nez Perce. Quotes By About Category:Places Category:Communities Category:Cascadia